NEXTEL Chevy Rock & Roll 400
Final
for this game
Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Preview
Sep 8, 2007 - 10:26 AMSeptember 8, 2007
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond, Virginia
Race 26 of 37 on Nextel Cup circuit (25th points race)
TV: ABC, 7 p.m. EDT
Laps: 400
Track length: 3/4 mile
Race length: 300 miles
Qualifying record: Brian Vickers, Chevrolet, 129.983 mph, May 2004
Race record: Dale Jarrett, Ford, 109.047 mph, September 1997
DRIVERS TO WATCH
----------------
Clint Bowyer
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 07 Chevrolet Impala
2007 Earnings: $2,798,819
Sits ninth in the standings and merely needs to start this race
to clinch his first berth in the Chase; ran 20th at California,
following a season-best third at Bristol; has 12 top-10 finishes
in 25 races this season; also has a pair of top-five finishes,
including a fourth on the road course at Sonoma to go along with
his solid showing at Bristol; has finished 30th or worse just
three times - 36th at Las Vegas, 35th at Talladega and 37th at
New Hampshire; has a pair of top-10 finishes at Richmond,
including a ninth here in May.
Jeff Burton
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Impala
2007 Earnings: $4,591,143
Ran fourth at California and remained seventh in the standings
en route to clinching a spot in the Chase; was 12th at Bristol
and had finished out of the top-10 in four races prior to
California; prior to that tough stretch had registered four
top-10 finishes over a six-race span; ran seventh at New
Hampshire and third at Sonoma to end a streak of four
consecutive finishes outside the top 10; has seven top-five
finishes and 13 top-10s and has only three finishes of 34th or
worse this season; captured his only victory of the season at
Texas; finished last here in May, but was ninth in this event a
yaer ago.
Kurt Busch
Team: Penske Racing
Car: No. 2 Dodge Avenger
2007 Earnings: $3,809,433
Finished ninth at California and moved up to 11th in the
standings to greatly improve chances to make the Chase; needs
only to finish 36th or better at Richmond to clinch a spot, and
37th if he leads a lap; turned season around over last eight
races by finishing out of the top 10 just twice with 11th place
finishes at the Brickyard and Watkins Glen; won at Pocono, then
later at Michigan during the rain-delayed event; has a pair of
third-place finishes at Talladega and the second Daytona race;
the 2004 Nextel Cup Champion has six finishes of 25th or worse
this season; finished fifth here in May and 27th in this race
last season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Team: Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Car: No. 8 Chevrolet Impala
2007 Earnings: $3,822,990
Posted consecutive fifth-place finishes at California and
Bristol, but still sits 128 points behind Kevin Harvick for the
final spot in the Chase; has to finish fifth at Richmond and
lead the most laps to have a shot at making the playoffs;
followed up a season-best second-place finish at Pocono with a
42nd at Watkins Glen, then placed 12th at Michigan after missing
his pit box late in the race while running in the top five;
finished 19th or worse over the previous three races prior to
Pocono, including a 34th at the Brickyard and a 36th at Daytona;
leaving the company his father founded to run for Hendrick
Motorsports in 2008; has yet to win a race and has just one pole
(Pocono) this season, but has six top-five finishes and 10
top-10s; also has six finishes of 30th or lower; finished 13th
here in May and 17th at this event a year ago.
Jeff Gordon
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Impala
2007 Earnings: $5,164,576
Finished 22nd at California, 19th at Bristol and 27th at
Michigan over past three races; prior to Michigan had finished
in the top 10 in 10 straight races; was the first driver to
clinch a spot in the "Chase for the Championship"; spun with
less than two laps remaining at Watkins Glen while leading,
costing him a potential fifth win this season - still managed to
finish ninth; still owns a comfortable 317-point cushion atop
the series standings despite being docked 100 points for failing
post-qualifying inspections at Sonoma, where he ran seventh;
has four checkered flags this season and 79 career, just four
shy of tying Cale Yarborough for fifth place all-time; reached a
landmark milestone at Talladega, recording his 77th career
victory to pass the late Dale Earnhardt for sixth all-time; has
completely dominated the circuit this season, leading the series
in poles (8), top-five finishes (14) and top 10s (20); was
fourth here in May and 31st in this race in 2006.
Kevin Harvick
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 29 Chevrolet Impala
2007 Earnings: $6,032,247
Continued recent struggles with 14th at California, dropping to
12th in the standings; needs to only finish 32nd or better at
Richmond to clinch a berth in the Chase; has finished 33rd or
worse three times in 25 races this season; was 36th at Watkins
Glen on the heels of a 17th at Pocono; won the season-opening
Daytona 500 by nipping Mark Martin at the finish line; has four
top-fives and 10 top 10s this season; finished second to Juan
Pablo Montoya on the road course at Sonoma; finished fifth at
Richmond in May and won this race a year ago.
Jimmie Johnson
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Impala
2007 Earnings: $5,072,400
Is back on track with a win at California, following consecutive
third-place finishes at Michigan and Watkins Glen; remains
sixth in the standings, but will has clinched at least a share
of the top seed for the Chase based on series-high five wins;
defending series champion has suffered through an up-and-down
season, finishing 39th at the Brickyard after a fiery crash on
the heels of a 37th at Chicago; prior to those two poor
showings, finished 10th at Daytona after running fifth at New
Hampshire; has posted victories this season at California, Las
Vegas, Atlanta, Martinsville and Richmond; despite collecting 13
top-five finishes, has been hurt by five finishes outside the
top 35; won here in May.
Matt Kenseth
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion
2007 Earnings: $4,520,328
Finished seventh at California a week after crashing and
finishing 39th at Bristol, where he locked up a spot in the
Chase; is fifth in the standings after being passed by teammate
Carl Edwards; ran fourth at Michigan in the rain delayed race;
posted fourth straight top-10 finish by placing 10th at the
Brickyard; ran 34th and 42nd, respectively, prior to the four
straight top-10 results; captured his only victory of the season
in the campaign's second race at California; has eight top-five
finishes and 16 top-10s this season; finished 10th here in May.
Tony Stewart
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 20 Chevrolet Impala
2007 Earnings: $4,814,205
Was 13th at California a week after locking up Case berth at
Bristol; continued recent surge by finishing fourth at Bristol
to jump up to second in the standings; ran 10th at Michigan on
the heels of winning at Watkins Glen - his third win over the
past seven races; captured back-to-back victories at Chicagoland
and at the Brickyard while placing sixth at Pocono during that
stretch; finished 38th at Daytona prior to his win at Chicago
after an early-race crash with teammate Denny Hamlin; has turned
his season around with nine finishes of sixth or better over
the last 13 races; has three career wins at Richmond and placed
eighth here in May.
Martin Truex Jr.
Team: Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Car: No. 1 Chevrolet Impala
2007 Earnings: $3,618,381
Finished sixth at California to climb a spot to 10th in the
standings; only needs to start the race in Richmond to qualify
for his first Chase; has been overshadowed by more famous
teammate Earnhardt, but has outperformed him all season; won his
first career Nextel Cup race at Dover in June; has five
top-fives and 10 top 10s, including a third at Pocono and second
at Michigan in back-to-back weeks after the win at Dover;
finished second in both Michigan races this year; has only two
finishes outside the top 30 this season - 42nd at California and
37th at Bristol during the early part of the season; was 28th
at his track earlier this year and finished 40th in this event
last season.
2006 Top 10
-----------
1. Kevin Harvick (29), Chevrolet
2. Kyle Busch (5), Chevrolet
3. Kasey Kahne (9), Dodge
4. Dave Blaney (22), Dodge
5. Mark Martin (6), Ford
6. Greg Biffle (16), Ford
7. Ken Schrader (21), Ford
8. Matt Kenseth (17), Ford
9. Jeff Burton (31), Chevrolet
10. Scott Riggs (10), Dodge
Past Champions
--------------
2006 Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 101.342 mph
2005 Kurt Busch, Ford, 98.567 mph
2004 Jeremy Mayfield, Dodge, 98.946 mph
2003 Ryan Newman, Dodge, 94.945 mph
2002 Matt Kenseth, Ford, 94.787 mph
2001 Ricky Rudd, Ford, 95.146 mph
2000 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 99.871 mph
1999 Tony Stewart, Pontiac, 104.006 mph
1998 Jeff Burton, Ford, 91.985 mph
1997 Dale Jarrett, Ford, 109.047 mph
1996 Ernie Irvan, Ford, 105.469 mph
1995 Rusty Wallace, Ford, 104.459 mph
1994 Terry Labonte, Chevrolet, 104.156 mph
1993 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac, 99.917 mph
1992 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac, 104.661 mph
1991 Harry Gant, Oldsmobile, 101.361 mph
1990 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 95.567 mph
1989 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac, 88.380 mph
1988 Davey Allison, Ford, 95.770 mph
1987 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 67.074 mph
1986 Tim Richmond, Chevrolet, 70.161 mph
1985 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 72.508 mph
1984 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 74.780 mph
1983 Bobby Allison, Buick, 79.381 mph
1982 Bobby Allison, Chevrolet, 82.800 mph
1981 Benny Parsons, Ford, 69.998 mph
1980 Bobby Allison, Ford, 70.722 mph
1979 Bobby Allison, Ford, 80.604 mph
1978 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 79.568 mph
1977 Neil Bonnett, Dodge, 80.644 mph
1976 Cale Yarborough, Chevrolet, 77.993 mph
1975 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 81.886 mph
1974 Richard Petty, 74 Dodge, 64.430 mph
1973 Richard Petty, 73 Dodge, 63.198 mph
1972 Richard Petty, 72 Plymouth, 75.899 mph
1971 Richard Petty, 71 Plymouth, 80.025 mph
1970 Richard Petty, 70 Plymouth, 81.476 mph
1969 Bobby Allison, 69 Dodge, 76.388 mph
1968 Richard Petty, 68 Plymouth, 85.659 mph
1967 Richard Petty, 67 Plymouth, 57.631 mph
1966 David Pearson, 65 Dodge, 62.886 mph
1965 David Pearson, 65 Dodge, 60.983 mph
1964 Cotton Owens, 64 Dodge, 61.955 mph
1963 Ned Jarrett, 63 Ford, 66.339 mph
1962 Joe Weatherly, 62 Pontiac, 64.980 mph
1961 Joe Weatherly, 61 Pontiac, 61.680 mph
1960 Speedy Thompson, 60 Ford, 63.740 mph
1959 Cotton Owens, 59 Thunderbird, 60.380 mph
